Arie Antiche – a magical word for all who desire to enter into one of the most fascinating and powerful of musical traditions: the Italian bel canto, the realization of the artistic ideal of the natural beauty of the human voice in song. And who better to represent this ideal than Spanish soprano Maria Bayo. This, the first of Maria Bayo’s recordings for Claves Records, earned immediate recognition from critics, including receiving the «Vierteljahresliste des Deutschen Schallplattenpreises».

Maria Bayo has since earned a position as one of the leading sopranos on stage and in recital, and we are pleased with the contribution that this recording represented in establishing her international reputation. Maria Bayo is accompanied on this recording of Italian songs from the 16th to 18th centuries by harpsichordist Ursula Dütschler. The «oldest» composer represented, Giulio Caccini, was born in 1550, and the most «modern», Emanuele d’Astorga, one of the great masters of the solo cantata, was born in 1680.

These vocal gems represent not only the historical development of this art form, but are united by their power of expression. Maria Bayo is also featured in a recording of Spanish songs, «Canciones Espanolas», Claves CD 50-9205, which received the «Prix Choc, Le Monde de la Musique, Paris».